GEOG 337 LAB 1
Goals and Background
Our first lab was a reintroduction and review of Geography 335, GIS I. This lab was meant to review different topics we learned in our introductory course of GIS, as everyone took the class at different times. Some of the basic topics that were reestablished included: coordinate systems and projections, storing and retrieving information from ArcCatalog, and navigating our way around basic tasks in ArcMap. We had small exercises such as searching for attributes, changing layer symbology, and normalization before our main exercise started. The main exercise was working with and comparing different variables to create two simple maps of Erie County in New York. After creating our maps, we were to note and analyze any patterns or differences that were found. The goal of this lab was to ease back into mapmaking using ArcMap and ArcCatalog as well as data interpretation.
Methods
The beginning methods of this lab were laid out for us in directions by our professor, Caitlin Curtis. We practiced different smaller tasks with data in ArcMap and ArcCatalog before starting the longer, main exercise. The first tasks were defining what ArcCatalog is before finding data from it such as coordinate systems and projections. ArcCatalog is a part of the ArcGIS software that stores and organizes information and data that is used for the mapmaking application, ArcMap. Windows Explorer uses internet connection to store information and the internet can be unreliable and broken into. ArcCatalog is more organized and manages the data in a protected manner, while being more compatible with the ArcMap software. ArcCatalog also can store very large files and loads of information without slowing down, which can happen using an application like Windows. After describing the differences between the two programs, we were to use features in ArcMap to manipulate and identify data. An example of this exercise was using the attribute table to classify different attributes associated with a layer that was labeled Donut Shops. In this example, The attributes with the donut shops layer are: FID, shape, name, address, and phone number. FID is an identification number, showing that there are seven donut shops in the city of Redlands. Each donut shop’s shape is a point. Since the map is already in polygons and the shops are not roads or lines, the best way to accurately portray the location of each shop on the map is a point. The name attribute tells the reader what each shop is called. Additionally, there is an attribute giving the exact address of each shop, as well as another attribute providing the phone number of every one. Another example of this was using the attribute table to identify the major highways crossing a Redlands map, of which were Orange St. and State 30.
After the set of introductory exercises given to us, we were to make two maps for Erie County in New York. There was a list of different variable we could choose to map, including: persons, median year house built, gross rent, number of households, and more. After making a map of each variable, we must analyze and discuss the maps. This includes noting patterns, similarities or differences between each one. I chose to represent people per square mile (seen in Figure 1.0) in one map and households of Erie county in another (Figure 1.1) and then discuss the relationship they may have towards one another.
Results
Sources:
Caitlin Curtis, University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire.
Our first lab was a reintroduction and review of Geography 335, GIS I. This lab was meant to review different topics we learned in our introductory course of GIS, as everyone took the class at different times. Some of the basic topics that were reestablished included: coordinate systems and projections, storing and retrieving information from ArcCatalog, and navigating our way around basic tasks in ArcMap. We had small exercises such as searching for attributes, changing layer symbology, and normalization before our main exercise started. The main exercise was working with and comparing different variables to create two simple maps of Erie County in New York. After creating our maps, we were to note and analyze any patterns or differences that were found. The goal of this lab was to ease back into mapmaking using ArcMap and ArcCatalog as well as data interpretation.
Methods
The beginning methods of this lab were laid out for us in directions by our professor, Caitlin Curtis. We practiced different smaller tasks with data in ArcMap and ArcCatalog before starting the longer, main exercise. The first tasks were defining what ArcCatalog is before finding data from it such as coordinate systems and projections. ArcCatalog is a part of the ArcGIS software that stores and organizes information and data that is used for the mapmaking application, ArcMap. Windows Explorer uses internet connection to store information and the internet can be unreliable and broken into. ArcCatalog is more organized and manages the data in a protected manner, while being more compatible with the ArcMap software. ArcCatalog also can store very large files and loads of information without slowing down, which can happen using an application like Windows. After describing the differences between the two programs, we were to use features in ArcMap to manipulate and identify data. An example of this exercise was using the attribute table to classify different attributes associated with a layer that was labeled Donut Shops. In this example, The attributes with the donut shops layer are: FID, shape, name, address, and phone number. FID is an identification number, showing that there are seven donut shops in the city of Redlands. Each donut shop’s shape is a point. Since the map is already in polygons and the shops are not roads or lines, the best way to accurately portray the location of each shop on the map is a point. The name attribute tells the reader what each shop is called. Additionally, there is an attribute giving the exact address of each shop, as well as another attribute providing the phone number of every one. Another example of this was using the attribute table to identify the major highways crossing a Redlands map, of which were Orange St. and State 30.
After the set of introductory exercises given to us, we were to make two maps for Erie County in New York. There was a list of different variable we could choose to map, including: persons, median year house built, gross rent, number of households, and more. After making a map of each variable, we must analyze and discuss the maps. This includes noting patterns, similarities or differences between each one. I chose to represent people per square mile (seen in Figure 1.0) in one map and households of Erie county in another (Figure 1.1) and then discuss the relationship they may have towards one another.
Results
Figure 1.0
Figure 1.0 portrays the number of people per square mile in Erie County, New York. Clearly, the highest density of people is in the upper left hand of the county. This area of high population density is likely because the city of Buffalo is present here. As tech county spreads and becomes more rural, the population density gets smaller.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.1 portrays the median year houses were built in each unit of Erie County in New York, almost oppositely patterned as Figure 1.0. Notably, the oldest houses tend to be centered around or in Buffalo city. As the city and its population expanded, more and more houses had to be built over time. This explains the outward pattern of newer houses outside the city.
Sources:
Caitlin Curtis, University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire.
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